Iran on Sunday unveiled dozens of drones mounted with air-to-air missiles to be added to the army’s arsenal, state media said on Sunday.
The locally made Karrar drone has been equipped with the Majid thermal missile with a range of 8 kilometers (5 miles). The Karrar drone, which was first introduced in 2010, has an operational range of up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).
The drones will join the air defense in all border areas of the country allowing it to intercept and destroy aerial targets at a much lower cost than manned jet fighters, according to Tasnim news agency.
The unveiling came during a ceremony at a military academy in Tehran, attended by the commander-in-chief of Iran's army, Gen. Abdolrahim Mousavi.
“The enemies will now have to rethink their strategies” because the Iranian forces have “become more powerful,” IRNA cited Mousavi as saying.
Iran has been boosting its military capabilities for years now. In August, the Defense Ministry unveiled a new advanced combat drone, dubbed Mohajer 10, that it claimed has a range of 2,000 kilometers (1,240 miles).
The development of Iran’s military arsenal has raised concerns among the United States and Israel. Washington has imposed several sanctions against entities and individuals linked to Iran’s drone program.
Tehran has been accused of supplying its allies in the region with drones, including Lebanon’s Hezbollah and Yemen’s Houthi rebels.
Iranian drones have been used also by the Russian military in the war on Ukraine.
The latest drones come as the war between Israel and Hamas, Iran’s ally, rages on in the Gaza Strip.
